Advice on Shower and lighting circuit in outhouse.

[blacberry22]

Hi all , I’m just after some advice really I’m Level 3 qualified electrician so know a bit about the industry did have me 17th edition but haven’t renewed also it’s not my line of work at the minute.



So I’m currently planning on converting a outbuilding on my house well I say outhouse it’s just a single floor that’s connected so I have main back door that leads to “the outhouse” then another door for the garden it already has a toilet and mains water supply. now I want to put in a electric shower, lighting circuit and extractor fan.



now the only way to get power to it is by going out the house from by the C/U then back in to another area next to the outhouse. Now my plan is to come out from the C/U from a 40A in out into a wiska box 6mm SWA along a run outside the house of about 8 metres 9 at most back into a wiska box into a 2 way C/U with a 32mA rcd 40A mcb and 6A mcb from that through in to the outhouse into a dropped ceiling planning on having a 9KW shower now to save money I’ll be doing the leg work myself and hiring a qualified spark for the 2nd fix thoughts and inputs would be welcome cheers guys.

 

[Geoff1946]

What about heating ?

 

[Murdoch]

As always you need to find a local spark to sign it off, so my advice to you is find them now as not many sparks will sign off work they haven't be involved with from the very start

 

[blacberry22]

What about heating ?

No heating as think would be pointless as it’s a single skin building so will be sealed, insulated then boarded an tiles not gonna be main wash area

 

[binky]

I would up the cable to 10mm, so you can fit a 50amp MCB, for the supply. A 9 kw shower will work fine on 40A, but it leaves no head room for anything else, like adding heating if you change your mind on doing that.

 

[Geoff1946]

No heating as think would be pointless as it’s a single skin building so will be sealed, insulated then boarded an tiles not gonna be main wash area

I would expect you will want at least frost protection for the plumbing, which will need a circuit from your panel.
I know someone who had a shower installed in a shed as part of a, "doggy parlour". The shed was unheated at night.
First real frost destroyed the shower unit.

 

[SPECIAL LOCATION]

I would expect you will want at least frost protection for the plumbing, which will need a circuit from your panel.
I know someone who had a shower installed in a shed as part of a, "doggy parlour". The shed was unheated at night.
First real frost destroyed the shower unit.

I'd agree with Geoffs points there.
Last winter I had two customers who both had water damaged electrics following bust pipes inside their empty parents houses.
Parents passed away.. houses still not fully emptied.. but no one living there... heating left off!

Normal property with heating off susceptible to freezing pipes..
Outbuilding even more so.

 

[UNG]

I'd agree with Geoffs points there.
Last winter I had two customers who both had water damaged electrics following bust pipes inside their empty parents houses.
Parents passed away.. houses still not fully emptied.. but no one living there... heating left off!

Normal property with heating off susceptible to freezing pipes..
Outbuilding even more so.

When my mother died in Feb 21 the insurance company stipulated that a 12°C minimum temp had to be maintained while the property was unoccupied

 

[mort2376]

When my mother died in Feb 21 the insurance company stipulated that a 12°C minimum temp had to be maintained while the property was unoccupied

12 is high, most frost stats are 5-7

 

[SPECIAL LOCATION]

When my mother died in Feb 21 the insurance company stipulated that a 12°C minimum temp had to be maintained while the property was unoccupied

After doing initial repairs and getting paid for my invoice...
I never heard back from my customers if they were successful or not with their insurance claims?

Possibly if what you say is standard practice they may have had a few complications?

We normally keep our heating minimum at 15°C..
as once the house gets too cold... it takes much longer to get it warm again!

 

[Murdoch]

I have set our frost stat to 9 degrees

 

[UNG]

After doing initial repairs and getting paid for my invoice...
I never heard back from my customers if they were successful or not with their insurance claims?

Possibly if what you say is standard practice they may have had a few complications?

We normally keep our heating minimum at 15°C..
as once the house gets too cold... it takes much longer to get it warm again!

Over the years I have fitted a number of frost stats and the problem I always find is making the customer understand if it is set at less than 5°C it will not work as intended as the heating system is already likely as not starting to freeze somewhere in the system

 

[UNG]

12 is high, most frost stats are 5-7

I can't remember the exact wording of the requirement but it implied they wanted a bit more than frost protection

 

[Captain Kirk]

Really a waste of time fitting instantaneous water heaters outside, unless they are isolated and drained Oct - April or fitted in an insulated enclosure with frost protection.
Hard to educate the user for this or explain the high energy bills in this financial climate

 

[Mike P]

why not install a 40w thermostat oil filled rad (tube) under it and leave it on 24/7 let the stat do the work! It would all need to be installed in an enclosure.

 

[Captain Kirk]

Waste of time - I had a instantaneous handwash in my garage for 18 years - I had to replace it 5 times due to freezing even with frost heater, But could not enclose heater and unit together so just had to accept losing it every so often. Make sure to have a handy stopcock to turn on and off during the winter, but if you don't drain it you will lose it
Re the 12 degees - gas boiler manufacturers are building in a recirc pump stat which kicks in the pump without firing at 12degrees to circulate the water in the system and prevent freezing. Its on all the time here in Scotland as the inside temperature without CH averages 7 degrees during the winter days.
I enquired why it was set so high and was told it is now the industry standard